Vusumuzi Dube
Yolanda Mlilo, Sunday News Reporter
A 27-YEAR-OLD Lupane man has been jailed for an effective 22 years imprisonment after he raped a person with multiple disabilities.
In a press statement, the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe revealed that the accused person appeared before the Hwange Magistrate Court facing charges of unlawful entry and sexually assaulting the 38-year-old mentally challenged, blind, deaf and mute woman.
“On 24 June 2024, at around 8pm, the complainant who is blind, mentally challenged, and cannot hear or speak, retired to bed with her mother who is also blind, shortly after supper. Just before going to bed, the complainant went to the toilet, came back, and closed the door, securing it with a stool.
“A short while later, the accused person forcibly entered the bedroom hut where the complainant and her mother were sleeping. The complainant’s mother assumed it was her daughter returning. The complainant’s brother arrived a while later to check on his family. When he entered the room he shone a torch and noticed the accused person in the complainant’s blankets,” reads the statement.
According to the statement, the accused came out of the complainant’s blankets wearing only boxer shorts, and tried to escape but was blocked by the brother.
“A desperate struggle ensued and the accused person was finally overpowered and arrested. Upon further examination, it was discovered that the complainant had been raped. She was found naked, with semen on her private parts.
“He was sentenced to 24 months imprisonment for unlawful entry and 20 years imprisonment for rape. He will serve 22 years effectively,” reads the statement.
Bongani Ndlovu